The present invention relates to an operation process indicating method, and more particularly to an operation process indicating method for aiding an operator who conducts the operations of creating and revising an operation process.
Heretofore, there have been a Gantt chart and a network diagram as methods of indicating an operation process for use in systematically carrying forward an operation plan. The Gantt chart is a schedule table in which individual jobs and the job schedules thereof are briefly indicated in correspondence, and it is suited to correspondingly express the items of each individual job, such as start, continuation, interruption and end, and the absolute times thereof. On the other hand, the network diagram is a directed graph (arrow diagram) which is formed of arcs expressive of jobs and nodes expressive of the coupling points of the jobs, and it is suited to express the mutual relations among the jobs. In addition, since the mutual relations among the jobs can be expressed in a data format easily handled with a computer, it is also practised that the optimal operation process is created with the computer by applying such a technique as PERT (Performance Evaluation and Review Technique) or CPM (Critical Path Method) to a network (V. Kakura et al.: "Applications of Graph Theory with Computer" translated by Seiuemon Imoi et al., published by Kyoritsu Shuppan Kabushiki-Kaisha). Besides, as methods of expressing an operation process, there are mentioned a date planning apparatus disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid open No. 146898/1984, a project management chart disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 86617/1985, and an operation planning chart disclosed in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 84290/1986.
It is difficult, however, to understand the mutual relations among the jobs in the Gantt chart and the job schedules at the absolute times in the network diagram, and hence, in conducting the operations of creating and revising the operation process, an operator has needed to put forward the operations while comparing both the chart and the diagram with the eye. Moreover, in a case where the number of jobs increases to complicate the mutual relations of the jobs, these mutual relations among the jobs increasingly become difficult to understand in the Gantt chart, and lines intersect complicatedly in the network diagram, so that both the chart and the diagram have been difficult to see for the person who conducts the operations of creating and revising the operation process. This has led to the problem that the work efficiencies of the operations of creating and revising the operation process are inferior, so a long time and much labor are expended in obtaining the optimal operation process.
In addition, the date planning apparatus or the project management chart is intended to be used for the management of an operation process, and it has been unsuitable for the operations of creating and revising the operation process.
The operation planning chart is an invention which provides a method of aiding the creation of a network diagram, but it has had the problem that it is unsuited to express a complicated network diagram.